The Twin Boxes
by The Winds of Chaos
Summary: A word prompt challenge-Where Nico tries to give his best friend a magic heirloom from his past, before he leaves on a mission, and gets carried away causing things to get out of hand.


**A/N: Okay, so this was a word prompt challenge. Temptation, scroll, silver, dark, box, scrumptious, and curiosity were the words. This is what I came up with :D Please review and let me know what you think, I haven't been in the habit of posting things for a long time.**

 **Also, I'm open to Fan Challenges, so if you have something you want to see me write or a list of words you want me to make something out of-don't be shy! Drop me a line in the reviews or a PM.**

Uncertainty was thick in the Hades cabin as a black haired boy paced nervously across the obsidian floors. The Greek Fire along the cabin walls cast an eerie glow over the willowy boy's olive skin causing him to appear positively ethereal, in the dim light. The shadow prince was leaving in the morning for a scheduled trip to New Rome. The trip would take him almost half a year, then he would have to pay a visit to the underworld. The lord of death frequently employed his son to handle things of a...more mortal nature, things Hades could not twine his oily fingers into. Nico knew though that his father's quests could take many months to finish. The dark prince couldn't fathom how much time he would be spending away from camp, away fro his friends and...away from Percy.

His relationship with the sea prince had vastly improved in the last few months. The shadow lord had contended himself to being friends, and only friends, if that meant he could at least spend time with the charismatic older boy. So far, things had been going well for them. Nico would almost dare to say that the sea prince had become his best friend, though he would never hasten to say it aloud. Sometimes though, Nico felt the pain of the long nights and unrequited feelings so deep his bones ached. He had done his best to change his feelings for the hero, but to no avail, the feelings lingered. The shadow prince thought he could find solace in Will, and for a while he thought his feelings for Percy had dissolved. The son of Apollo had made the shadow prince happy. For a few months there Nico really thought that he had moved on. Life was better. Then everything changed.

The golden couple of camp decided to part ways, each leaving the other on good terms and staying friends-but nothing more than that. Annabeth was moving on, the blonde haired brainiac was taking a traveling internship at a prestigious architectural firm, they were headed to Moscow and from there a myriad of other cities across the globe. Percy was just beginning classes at NYU, and he had taken on training new campers full time. He couldn't just follow her this time. So they decided that, all though it would be hard, they would rather remain close friends then strain the relationship they had into something painful. News of their break up spread like wild fire through the Demigod gossip ring and when it reached Nico, it hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

His whole world rocked and feelings that he thought he had buried and replaced with Will, reared up and ripped through him with a vengeance. Their relationship quickly took a tail spin and eventually Will told Nico that he couldn't stand being in second place. He either was in it to win, or he wasn't going to play at all. Then the blonde drifted from Nico's life, but the shadow prince was more disappointed at being alone again then than actually losing the sunny boy. This had all happened a few months ago now, and while Percy and Nico had certainly worked on their friendship, doing so had caused Nico's feeling to grow far more than he was ever expecting.

This is how the shadow prince found himself in the predicament he was in, nervous and pacing across his floor while debating on whether he should deliver the scroll clutched in his hand or not. The scroll was worn in appearance, the paper crinkled and delicate looking. It held directions for an equally as ancient looking box that rest on his nightstand. To the average person, the box was nothing extraordinary-but Nico took it everywhere.

It was silver and had intricate detailing along the sides, while the the top was layered with black leather. The face held a lock, but the key was the skull ring that Nico frequently wore. What made the box special, was it's enchantment. The box had a twin, one with a white leather cover. When something was placed inside of one chest, it appeared in the other. An almost instantaneous transportation device, one that was a heirloom to the children of Hades and had been used in times of war, between the children of the dark lord. Each chest had it's own insignia lock, bound by the key ring.

Nico had been fighting the temptation to give the sea prince the key ring for the the twin box for months. On the eve of his last night in camp, he was still battling with himself. The chests had never been gifted to someone outside of the Hades bloodline. The shadow prince fought with himself between the tradition of giving the twin box to Hazel, as it was rightfully hers, versus his want to give it the the sea prince. If Percy had it, maybe their separation wouldn't be so awful...they would have a way to keep in touch regardless of where his father's bidding took him. Maybe Nico wouldn't feel so alone this time around. That thought made his mind up for him. The dark eyed boy set his face with a look of determination, he was tired of being alone. Temptation won him over in the end.

Knowing that if he put it off till the morning, he would change his mind- Nico strode over to the white and silver chest and disregarding the time, shadow traveled himself to the Poseidon cabin.

The inside of the cabin was dark, the only light came from a fountain at the end of the room. It gave enough light to notice the familiar mess that trailed behind Percy where ever he stayed. The smell of the ocean was heavy in the air, sea salt and brine smothered the shadow prince in a familiar musk that, to him, smelt like home. The grim boy allowed himself a small smile as he spotted Percy, tangled in his blue sheets, sleeping peacefully despite the intruder.

The thin boy crept over to the nightstand by the older boy's bunk. He placed the white topped box on the nightstand, careful to not make much noise. The scroll went on top of the box but the ring...Nico drew a blank. If he placed it on the box, what if it got knocked off? He slid his dark eyes over to the boy sleeping peacefully next to him. Percy wasn't known for his grace after all.

Nico smiled at the melancholy though of placing the ring on Percy's finger, leaving it for him to discover, and the thought of it bristled at his heart. The shadow prince knew this would more than likely be the only ring the two boys would ever trade, and this would be his only chance to ever see the older boy wear the shadow ring. Nico mirthlessly chuckled for a moment, knowing that his luck had spoiled a long time ago. No matter how his heart was foolishly hopeful, the anti-hero knew his chances of getting the camp leader's inclination were slim to none.

A olive skinned hand shakily crept towards a tanned, scarred looking hand. Nico felt like the world was getting ready to fall out from beneath his feet when he finally grasped Percy's warm hand. He slowly put the ring on Percy's third finger, knowing it would magically re-size for it's new owner. The skull ring grew and the gems in the eyes of the ring turned a deep, moody blue; the silver winked at Nico in the dim light and he let out a shaky breath as he pulled his hands away from the still sleeping hero. The shadow prince let his eyes trail over his best friend, a smile breaking out across his face as he ingrained the image of the hero sleeping, while wearing the shadow ring.

Butterflies broke out in Nico's stomach as his eyes swam for a moment and he brushed the older boy's too messy hair out of his face. He took a shaky breath, knowing that what he was going to do next was probably really stupid, and could ruin everything, but he had already come so far. The shadow prince leaned forward, careful not to disturb Percy's sleep, and placed one butterfly wing kiss on the older boy's lips. He barely grazed them, but it was enough to make Nico feel like he had been set on fire. That one kiss was better than anything he had ever dreamed, and the warmth that blazed inside the anti-hero was scrumptious. Every nerve in his system sizzled and a tiny sigh escaped his mouth as he admitted his biggest secret.

"I'm so stupidly in love with you, and I've tried so hard to get over you, but I can't" the shadow prince whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

He backed up a pace, knowing that every moment he stayed was another moment reminding him of what he couldn't have. Nico headed for the nearest shadow, adrenaline pounding through his system when his name was groggily called into the room.

"Nico?" Percy spoke, his voice laced with confusion while he sat up, rubbing at his face. The shadow prince, turned at his name, and felt his body turn from fire to ice as Panic gripped his heart.

"Percy? Oh fuck" Nico whispered viciously.

"What's going on? I had this dream" Percy started, touching his lips and then looking at the new weight on his hand. His eyes narrowed, then widened with realization as he spied the ring on his finger

"I..." Nico fumbled for words, his voice hoarse as panic ripped through him, crushing any trill left from his stolen kiss. The sea prince had a look of clarity on his face.

"It wasn't a dream..." He trailed off, thinking to himself, but Nico didn't stick around to hear his conclusion.

The shadow prince did what he does best and leapt for the nearest shadow, encasing himself in the liquid horror that met him every time he was between worlds and realities. He wasn't even guiding himself, his panic was so severe, and when he landed it was in a dark forest that was a stranger to him. He landed hard on his back, the breath flew out of him and his head rang from the impact.

Nico knew he would have to go back to the camp at some point before the morning to gather his things, but for now he folded in on himself, dragging his jacket around him like a blanket and clutching at his chest. He reveled in his own misery, knowing that he had probably wrecked their friendship, but strangely he couldn't bring himself to regret the kiss. It had been more than anything he had ever dreamed. His curiosity hadn't been sated in the slightest it only gave fuel to his love, pushing it to burn brighter than ever before. For as scared as he was about the future, he knew that he would never take tonight back.

The shadow prince lay curled on the forest floor, breathing in cool, sweet air and feeling the dew collect in his hair. He stared at the over grown trees above him and as his panic subsided, he found for the first time in a long time a level of peace that he had never known.


End file.
